Could John Kerry broker a Mideast peace deal? Probably not.
“I pray that maybe this will be a moment that will allow us to renew the effort to bring the parties to the negotiating table and go down a different path than the one they were on in the last few years,” Kerry said on Thursday. “I would like to try and do that.” …
“Every president, every secretary of State thinks that they can bring peace to the Middle East, and they have a 100 percent record over the last 65 years of failure,” said Mitchell Bard, the executive director of the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. “No plan developed by the United States has worked–and can’t work, because it has to come from the parties themselves.” …
However, the facts on the ground stand in Kerry’s way. While their neighbors are entrenched in bitter conflicts—the insurrection in Syria or the riots in Egypt—Israelis and Palestinians are dealing with their own political storms that aren’t conducive to a peace deal.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has refused to sit down with Israeli leaders and has pursued unilateral action through the United Nations, which the U.S. has criticized. Additionally, Abbas has said he wants to pursue reconciliation with Hamas, an Islamic militant group that has been responsible for several attacks on Israel in recent years. …
Blowback
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Sure he can, and probably will. He’ll make peace with the Arabs as they war on David.
Limerick on January 29, 2013 at 10:10 AM
Even Chuck Norris couldn’t.
Shy Guy on January 29, 2013 at 10:13 AM
Those Arabs have so much respect for a kept man like Kerry. Theresa’s Goat is going to be a disaster.
Flange on January 29, 2013 at 10:14 AM
Nah, but their cars will get better milage.
Cindy Munford on January 29, 2013 at 10:15 AM
The key to the ME peace process is for Israel to offer John a tax free boat slip.
Limerick on January 29, 2013 at 10:16 AM
Kerry couldn’t broker peace between two 5-year olds fighting over a toy truck. Lurching, sonorous, gold-digging hypocrites aren’t what we need working for anything in the mideast; without D.C. or Heinz money Kerry would be washing cars.
Bishop on January 29, 2013 at 10:18 AM
I think they should start by asking questions that aren’t so serious and complicated…how about:
“Can John Kerry ties his own shoes?”
I’m going to go out on a limb and say no….
BigWyo on January 29, 2013 at 10:20 AM
Doubtful. But he does stand a good chance of winning the Kentucky Derby this year.
HumpBot Salvation on January 29, 2013 at 10:22 AM
Kerry will become the laughing stock of the Arab world. His stilted pomposity will not play well with them. They mock Obama behind his back. They’ll laugh in Kerry’s face.
petefrt on January 29, 2013 at 10:37 AM
Halp Us Jon Karry will take the Jews and Palestinians windsurfing.
That’ll take care of it.
CorporatePiggy on January 29, 2013 at 10:37 AM
The Arabs (including the “Palestinians”) do not want peace. Israel is the excuse for why their citizens have corrupt, authoritarian and incompetent government and societies.
rbj on January 29, 2013 at 10:41 AM
Yes.
By brokering the Palestinians a state,
There will be war;
And then there will be peace.
tomg51 on January 29, 2013 at 10:56 AM
The messiah hisself could not broker sh!t. You think Kerry would? Don’t make me cry.
AlexB on January 29, 2013 at 11:16 AM
Americans have to wrap this around their heads – yes they have the biggest economy, and the largest amount of weapons – but that is very different from saying it’s the “most influential country on earth”, or even “just influential”.
The hard truth is that outside of America, almost nobody cares what America or Americans think.
Americans may think their leaders are omnipotent, but they are not. And you can see it everywhere you look around the world. And it’s not because Democrats are in power. It’s been that way since the end of WW2. The Vietnamese weren’t scared, Saddam was not scared, the Taliban weren’t and still aren’t scared, France and Germany didn’t give a cr4p in 2002/2003, Iran couldn’t give 2 sh1ts (when Bush was in power after the invasion of Iraq, and now when Obama is in charge), today’s Iraq who forced the US military out without any SOF agreement, today’s Russia, Chavez and the communist block in South America, Egypt’s Mursi … man, the list goes on. The Arabs, who are 10 times as proud and 20 times stupid as any non-Arab country who couldn’t care less about US’ interests, will do as they please. And Americans think JOHN KERRY… can influence them?
Oh man… this article is incredibly stup1d because it dares to even entertain the possibility that Kerry could change anything.
Guys, wake up. You’re not really a “superpower”. You can’t make anyone listen to you no matter how many weapons you have and how much economic power you think you yield.
AlexB on January 29, 2013 at 11:29 AM
The only courage Port-A-John Kerry has ever known is the liquid variety. He had a whole group of veterans form against him just because he was such a bald-faced liar. He couldn’t broker peace between two 6th graders who want to play on the same arcade game.
MelonCollie on January 29, 2013 at 11:42 AM
ha!
Steven McGregor on January 29, 2013 at 11:53 AM
You guys are missing the point.
General Patton himself, or Lincoln reincarnated would not be able to broker anything in the Middle East.
The Arab mindset is beyond any concept such as “negotiations” and “interests”. They’re stubborn and stupid and proud, and recently have immersed themselves in a nihilistic suicide cult, and will gladly cut off their nose and ears and stab their own eyes and break their own teeth just to spite their own damn face, as they’ve been doing for a very long time now.
No type of personality can broker anything with these people. Even Assad who’s been killing his people with butchering gangs (the “shabiha”), scuds, chemical weapons… even he can’t broker anything. So even mass murder of Arabs (which I do not advocate by any means!!) would not make them change their mind.
Kerry or any other diplomat have worse chances than a snowball’s chance surviving in hell.
AlexB on January 29, 2013 at 12:00 PM
I can see John Kerry giving his speech in Gaza now:
” … How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake? ….”
and all hands go up!
Dusty on January 29, 2013 at 12:10 PM
LOL
I’m sure that “different path” would be one that includes Jerusalem as capital city of a Palestinian state while all settlements are handed over to Palestinians and Israel removes it’s fence. That’s the only path I can see the Democrats supporting.
ButterflyDragon on January 29, 2013 at 12:30 PM
Why the Long Face, John?
Del Dolemonte on January 29, 2013 at 12:36 PM
Yeah, but they got Chicago demockracy in Iraq and bushels of hearts and minds in noble Afghanistan.
Heinz and hubris for the win!
BL@KBIRD on January 29, 2013 at 12:54 PM